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Plastic e-chain® cable carriers reduce downtime & increase service life of cables

Plastic e-chain® cable carriers are more durable and longer lasting than the plastic carriers you’re used to.  That’s because they’re made of highly engineered plastic materials that are put through 10 billion test cycles each year inside our 41,000 sqft. test lab at our headquarters in Cologne, Germany.  We also offer readychain® pre-assembled with chainflex® high ​flexible cables​ that can reduce costs and assembly time by up to 95%.

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What are the advantages of our e-chains®?

  • Cable-friendly due to smooth contours
  • Many options in terms of movement and length
  • Reliable, even in harsh environmental conditions
  • Low weight, modular, strong, quiet, easy to open
  • Energy, data, FOCs, oil and air guided in one system
  • Predictable service life with up to 4 year guarantee
  • Low maintenance, easy to install

Industries:
Automotive, Robotics, EOT and Indoor Cranes, Port and Terminal Cranes, Material Handling, Oil and Gas, Shore Power, Offshore, Aerial Lifts and Platforms, Steel Mills, Stage and Theater, Vertical Farming

E4Q e-chains® for tool-free assembly

E4Q is the newest generation of e-chain®. Based on the e-chain® standard E4.1, the new series offers a long service life, a high level of modularity and new technology within the crossbars which facilitate tool-free assembly.

The crossbars feature an easy to open mechanism which does not require any tools. Simply, lift the latch with your thumb on each end to remove and snap it shut to attach. This innovative new solution cuts the assembly time by up to 40% compared to the standard E4.1 e-chain®.

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Browse e-chain® cable carriers

Low-cost, small e-chains®

low cost
  • Lightweight & high torsion resistance
  • Snap-open or closed design
  • Internal separators -- standard or notch
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Long Travels, Heavy Duty e-chains®

Long Travels, Gliding
  • Smooth, cable-friendly interior surfaces
  • Integrated "brakes" on radial stop dogs
  • Suitable for a wide range of applications
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Special Solutions

Special Solutions
  • Vertical, spiral and rotary movements
  • ESD material to avoid static charges
  • Low noise, high-speeds
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Multi-axis cable carriers for robots

triflex
  • Built-in torsion stop
  • Defined bend radius
  • Split cavity for cable separation
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Closed tubes for dirt, chips & debris

tubes
  • Cost-effective and stable chip protection
  • Stop-dogs encapsulated for dirt protection
  • Hinged or removable lids for easy-opening
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smart plastics for IIoT

smartplastics-all-products
  • Smart sensors allow self-monitoring.
  • Real-time alerts prevent unplanned downtime
  • Value limits can trigger a system shut-down
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e-chain® cable carrier online tools

e-chain® cable carriers come in a variety of sizes ranging from 5mm inner height for the smallest installation spaces up to 350mm inner height for high loads. Find solutions for long, gliding and unsupported travels as well as for horizontal, vertical, zig zag and robotic applications.  We also have open or closed systems with easy-to-open crossbars enables fast filling, and interior separators help increase the lifetime of the cables and hoses.  Use the lifetime Calculator to determine the service life of your e-chain® cable carrier.

e-chain expert

Expert Configurator

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Orange Services

CAD Library

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Robotic Dresspack Configurator

Robot Configurator

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3d models

Interactive 3D models

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Applications for e-chains®

e-chains® are essential in industries such as manufacturing, automation, and material handling. They ensure cables and hoses are safely guided through complex movements, reducing wear and tear and minimizing maintenance costs.

cleanroom cable management solutions

Cleanroom

igus® has been among the frontrunners when it comes to manufacturing cable carrier systems for cleanroom environments and applications. igus® supplies a wide range of IPA-tested e-chains® that are easy to install and allow for machine-specific cable carriers in cleanrooms. Since the quality requirements demanded by customers and by test standards for cleanroom technology are constantly growing, igus® is continuously working on improving its products.

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    • heavy duty construction machinery

    Construction Machinery

    igus® offers durable cable management solutions guaranteed to last up to 4 years. e-chain® cable carriers are resistant to dirt, dust, shock, vibration, corrosion and UV rays. They can withstand loads of up to 403 lbs/ft. Explore more of our products and how they can be used in heavy-duty construction machinery.

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    • heavy duty bulk material handling

    Bulk Material Handling & Mining

    Bulk material systems must function reliably under rough and dirty working conditions and in harsh weather conditions. We offer plastic components for bulk material technology that can do just that and are particularly characterized by their resilience and long service life. This includes e-chains®, cables and hoses that are used, for example, in bucket wheel excavators, ship loaders, portal scrapers, wagon tippers, conveyor belts, silos, and hoppers. Our components are also used in mining equipment.

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    • crane application image

    Port & Terminal Cranes

    For over 30 years, high-strength plastic e-chain® cable carriers have been trusted and proven on thousands of port and terminal cranes worldwide. While unforgiving environmental factors such as high winds, UV rays, saltwater and extreme temperatures can cause traditional cable management systems such as festoons to fail, energy chain cable carriers are able to withstand the harshest conditions while operating reliably.

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    • heavy duty oil and gas industry

    Oil & Gas

    Machinery used for oil and gas extraction, such as drilling equipment, is frequently exposed to dirt, saltwater, vibrations, extreme temperatures, mechanical stress and risk of explosion. Downtime is costly in these conditions, but e-chains from igus® offer the high performance needed to ensure continuous, failsafe operation.

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    • heavy duty EOT and indoor cranes

    EOT and Indoor Cranes

    igus® e-chain® cable carriers are a durable and cost-effective alternative to busbars, festoons and cable reels. e-chain® systems are engineered with high-performance plastics and have space-saving designs, allowing for easy mounting either directly to the crane or on top.

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    • heavy duty offshore industry

    Offshore Equipment

    From wind power plants to drilling vessels or oil drilling rigs, igus® products ensure a reliable energy supply. Thanks to our engineering team, we offer ready-to-install complete systems, specifically tailored for the offshore and the oil and gas industry utilizing chainflex® cables that are certified according to DNV/GL and NEK.

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    • Stage and theater cable management

    Stage & Theater

    Stage and theater equipment is complex, with various moving parts, space restrictions, and a focus on visual appeal. To support this area of application, igus has developed a variety of e-chain® products focused on making the cable management of theater equipment simpler, easier, and more aesthetically pleasing.

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    • Woodworking

    Woodworking

    igus ® solutions help you to reduce installation, handling and throughput times. Time-consuming maintenance work can be minimized with dry running, chip-resistant solutions from a single source. Where there is dust and chips, the very tightly sealed energy supplies ensure the safe and secure movement of cables, hydraulic and pneumatic hoses in woodworking machines or CNC processing centers.

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    • e-chain® news

    e-chain® news 2025

    Tech up, cost down: we will always give you at least one of the two. We have been pursuing this goal for you for many years. This year, we are presenting our new innovative energy supply systems that make the operation of your machines even better and more cost-efficient:

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    Orange Services

    Installation and Inspection aka Orange Services

    Proper installation is essential for the life of your cable carrier, and igus® has a team of dedicated engineers ready to assist you every step of the way. From site inspection, to installation, to complete modernization, our team will ensure the longest possible service life for your cable carrier system.

    Contact us at (800) 521-2747  to discuss your project today!

    Learn more about Orange Services

    Browse the Engineer's Toolbox

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Energy chains (also called energy supply chains, e-chains®) are mechanical machine elements. They are used to guide and protect energy, data and signals that have to withstand the most diverse environmental influences. The decisive fact about cable guides is the symbiosis of the components moving against each other. They include cables, hoses, interior separation elements, strain relief devices and guide troughs. The materials used have to be optimally matched to each other so that maximum operating times and a long service life are achieved. Thanks to energy chains, downtime is avoided wherever energy in the form of electricity, gas, air or fluids is supplied to moving loads.

    Simply use our service life calculator to determine the expected service life of the energy chain.

    We recommend using the expert configurator to determine the correct e-chain® based on the fill package, movement, and environment.

    Rol e-chains® can travel or more 1,200m.

    As a rule, the standard temperature range for plastic energy chains is -40°F to +240°F.

    A detailed list provides information on the resistance of igus® igumid G, TE, and NB materials to many chemical substances.

    Yes, the autoglide system allows travels of up to 80 m without guide troughs.

    Yes, all igus® e-chains® materials can be deployed in continuous use at temperatures as low as -40°F

    Contact Us

    Questions or product information? Please contact:

    Dan Thompson
    Dan Thompson

    Product Manager

    +1 800 521 2747Contact an Expert

    Customer Service

    Customer Service:
    Phone: Monday to Friday from 8 am - 8 pm
    LiveChat: 24 hours

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